Can't Wait For You On The Field!
Amtgard is a Live Action Role Play ~sport? ~game? ~activity? All descriptions work as we get out on the field and have battles, we role play characters of medieval era and fantasy genre, and we cultivate arts and sciences as well as leadership skills. A little something for everyone :D
History~the quick version ;)
Amtgard originally began based from
another LARP called Dagohir in 1983 in El Paso, Texas as one chapter.
From there it grew to a few chapters and the first Kingdom. Today we
have currently 15 Kingdoms with some up-and-coming on the horizon, all
across the world! From East to West coast in the USA, to Canada, Japan,
Croatia, Germany and so many more places!Our province, Harbour of Rhye, falls under the 12th Kingdom, Crystal Groves. We are formed from two groups called Veles Harbour and Sea of Rhye in the Newport News area back in 2008 and now we meet every Saturday starting at noon at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, VA.
A Little More Detail...
Amtgard is an involved game. There isn't a
sitting on the couch in the comfort of the home pretending to being out
on some distant field pushing buttons and chatting with people who are
on the other side of the globe, making items that you will never wear on
your person.
Yes, there are activities in which we sit
and socialize, make arts and science projects, chat with people all
across the world via internet, but we get together and wear awesome
looking garb to role play the interesting characters we come up with,
playing battles in which we swing foam covered weapons as if in true
battle of old and projecting spells of mighty wizards!
Working as teams of just a few or teams of
many, battles vary from militia style and "class" battles in which you
have options of the type of player you can participate as!
Fighting Basics
Fighting techniques are very
straightforward in Amtgard. All the weaponary we use must pass safety
standards to prevent bruises or serious injury, however, they are still
solid enough to "know" you have been hit with them.
Some of the basics all players must know:
- Hitting of the head or neck is not considered a legal hit and is not allowed.
- A "Limb" that is hit, either leg or arm is equal to a "half death"
- If it is an arm that is hit from should down, let go of any shield or weapon in hand and put behind the back to show it is no longer "there"
- If it is leg that is hit from hip joint down, drop to the knee to show it is not "there"
- If you have two limbs that are hit, (2 "half deaths" = 1 "full death") it is a kill.
- If you are hit in the torso, whether front or back, or groin/rear area, it is kill.
The best part (okay so this is like those
"sit at home pushing buttons" kind of game), you get to come back to
life! Depending on the class you decide to play and the experience level
you achieve, determines the number of lives you have during a battle
game.
Choose Your Class!
Amtgard offers several different character classes for the
starting player to pick from! When you come join us on the field, you can
select from any of the following:
Melee:
*Assassin - A silent fighter who likes to sneak up on their
prey.
*Barbarian - Hulk, smash! Likes to fight with brute force
and animalistic intent.
*Monk - The fighter who keeps their inner soul at peace.
*Warrior - The front lines fighter who never hesitates to
enter battle.
Support:
*Archer - Bow and arrows. Fire at will.
*Scout - Excellent at finding hidden players and hand to
hand combat.
Magic:
*Bard - Able to control other player's actions with verbal
commands.
*Druid - Friend of nature and a powerful spell caster.
*Healer - Able to heal the injured with spoken spells.
*Wizard - Conjurer of powerful magical spells.
Once you have taken a look at the
different classes, you are not limited to playing only one class! You
can play a different class every battle game.
Now.... not everyone is a "get out on the
field" kind of person... and that is perfectly fine! Because we have
activities for everyone! We have members who like to simply make the
weaponary we use, the garb we wear, learn leadership skills, and on
PotLuck days~the food we devour! :D ;)
Okay, you mentioned Magic. Are you talking "real" stuff or what?
Nope, we are talking 'spells' with short phrases to role play an effect.
Sometimes used with the physical show of a "ball" so that people have
to still use skill of effecting a target. Any spell used must be stated
loud enough for people within 20 feet away will hear it.
What Will It Cost Me?
Other than making or purchasing your own weaponary, garb, and any other such items, Amtgard is a free-to-play game.
If you would like
to be a full member of the kingdom, you must pay your dues of $1 a month
to the
park. Dues are collected in 6 month increments ($6 for 6 months) only.
Full members are allowed to vote in any matter at park and kingdom
level.
What Else Does Amtgard Offer?
As mentioned above already, battles are
not the only thing we do in this game. Though many chapter seem very
focused on the battles, there is more!
For those who are interested in learning
leadership, like to 'just help out', do 'behind the scenes' kind of
assistance, or run events, there is a wide variety of service
activities.
We have events which are one-day events, and even camping events that last a whole
weekend! Kingdom events bring people from
all over the land to come together for fun. Some events can even go as
large as several hundred people in attendance, with loads of games,
classes on making jewelry and chain mail, sewing garb, leather armor,
even artwork and belly dancing and SO much more!!
However, service may not be of interest to
you just yet... arts and sciences may not hold any desire of yours..
it's alright! Many people do, and might be willing to barter with you
for some of their services on making garb or such items for you ;)
What Do I Need To Start?
A desire to have fun! We have rule books
to show you all the different classes and their fun points. Loaner
weapons are available for you to use for first few weeks until you are
able to get your own. Garb is not demanded; however, it is highly
encouraged as it helps to portray your character.
Who Can Play Amtgard?
Anyone can play! every player must have a properly signed waiver. A
member who is under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian
sign the waiver. A player who is under 14 must also have Group Leader's
permission to participate in battle, if a Kingdom level event, there
must be approval from the Kingdom Monarch.
We have a wide range of members, ranging from young teens to (okay, just going to say older~I don't want to get hurt by them!).
Meeting Time And Place:
Harbour of Rhye meets at Mount Trashmore every Saturday at noon and goes until everyone is tired or dusk.
We meet at Mount Trashmore in the "grassy
area" near the pavilions closest to the Independence Dr and Edwin Dr
intersection. When parking in the first park parking area, walk past the
children's playground to about the 4th pavilion~you should have already
seen us ;)
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